Are men or women more unsettled by fixed-term contracts? Gender differences in affective job insecurity and the role of household context and labour market position

Abstract

"This study investigates differences in the causal effect of fixed-term contracts on affective job insecurity by gender and household context in Germany. Research shows that workers in fixed-term employment are more unsettled about their job security than are permanent employees. We contribute to the literature on subjective job insecurity by explicitly modelling the causal effect of fixed-term employment and by examining how women and men differ in this effect. We argue that gender differences in the labour market positions and a gendered division of labour in the household account for gender differences in the subjective vulnerability to fixed-term employment. We apply linear fixed effect probability models based on the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) with a sample of employees aged between 20 and 45 years. Results show that a fixed-term contract doubles the probability of big job worries compared to a permanent contract. Women are substantially more unsettled by fixed-term contracts than men across all household types. These gender differences cannot be explained by unfavourable labour market positions of women. Fixed-term employment thus seems to add to existing gender inequalities on the labour market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Morgenroth, N., Schels, B. & Teichler, N. (2022): Are men or women more unsettled by fixed-term contracts? Gender differences in affective job insecurity and the role of household context and labour market position. In: European Sociological Review, Vol. 38, No. 4, p. 560-574. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcab060